Yahoo Serious Quotations

There are a thousand weird untold stories in the Australian film industry, this has been one of them.

Now both my films have been number one at the Australian box office and it took about two years just to get the finance for this film, so if it's hard for me then God help everyone else.

Movies are a complicated collision of literature, theatre, music and all the visual arts.

Three years after starting, by physically doing everything from raising the finance to special effects, we'd finally cobbled together our low budget film.

So we have to be careful because if you don't protect your culture you won't have it for very long.

The obsession required to see a feature through from concept to release is not a rational thing to do with your brief time on this planet. Nor is it something to which an intelligent person should aspire.

Find your own specific voice in filmmaking and go for it. Either people will get it or they won't and that's what it's all about.

In 1905 Albert discovered Relativity, in 1906 he invented Rock and Roll.

It's an infinite creative universe to explore so why chase conservative options?

It's because we are so flooded with American culture that we're startled when we see ourselves up there on the screen.

My background was art school, documentary director and surfer with a keen interest in thrilling acts of life threatening stupidity.

Australians don't have a preconceived notion of what things have to be... we can go on a fantastic journey.

Getting your screenplay right is the most important thing you'll ever do on your film.

The journey of your first movie is not just beyond belief it can be truly beyond satire.

While the eyes of the world will be on us let's show everyone that we have a great sense of humour.

I just wanted to do this all Australian film and we didn't want to give creative control to overseas 'cause whoever comes on my sets, whether you're sweeping the floor or an actor, it doesn't matter who comes up with the ideas, it's a collaboration.

We live in a time where government is not a leadership thing, it's more a business that's out there and running riot, so I guess the people have to go out there and say stuff.

It was always easy for me. I was born very rich and lucky.

All the jokes in my films, the comedy, they're not me, I just try to hold a big mirror up to us.

Can you imagine what it would be like if all the Aussie film talent was able to make Australian stories?

I don't know what it means to be out there against the Olympics.

In a kind of a way there's a bit of that happening now so we have to be careful to preserve our culture.

Making your first feature film is actually impossible.

Movies are usually difficult, often insane, constantly challenging and always strangely amusing to make.

You go overseas and people are oppressed and scared and worried but we're not like that... we're more like my films and how people come out at the end of seeing them - they feel good.

The American formula things are out there but they don't have any stories to tell - we have all the stories to tell - but they're all formula.

We cheer everyone who goes off to Hollywood and tells American stories but telling Australian stories is the greatest thing you can do.

We've got so many stories to tell, you know, we could take on the world.

I kind of worry about that a little bit - we lost our film culture for 30 years because the Americans came in and bought up all the cinema chains and wouldn't show any Australian films.

If government and media and all of us in the Australian tribe got together, and the rock industry, we'd just be the greatest cultural force the world has ever seen - we're such an amazing race.

Then if your movie clicks with real audiences, you'll be sucked into some sort of Hollywood orbit. It's a devil of a place where the only religion that really counts is box office.

But what happens is that people try set us (the film makers) against each other, and yet the enemy is outside.

I think we have an optimistic view of the world. I think we're a very positive race, and I think we're very egalitarian - we give everyone a fair go.

I think we (the Australian film industry) is always in crisis but I think there needs to be a level playing field in which to make our films, which there isn't.

We (Australians) are kinda crazy and we like to go on these fantastic rides.

It would probably be the greatest industry this country could ever have because entertainment is the biggest thing in the world.

As director I got to vacuum the crew bedrooms, as producer I carried out the garbage.

Australian kids could then grow up and love their own culture and not have to love Hollywood or Disneyland culture.

They had to build an identical one next to it, and that's because people want their own culture and when you give it to them they love it.

It's not the Olympics that are the problem, it's these big, horrible, formula, factory American comedies that are out there bashing our tiny, little film industry and when you're trying to celebrate the Australian culture you've got all this trash coming in there.

By staunch resolve we'd kept creative control all the way which resulted in an original movie with a contemporary Australian voice.

Hollywood is horrible... it's beyond satire.

I support all Australian films.